More on the 'high end' of the PHEV spectrum; 20 EV miles; they sold 10 last month so perhaps at least worth a mention ... plus that odd placement of the charging port (in rear bumper) is the same as the C350 but of course at a higher price level; not exactly hidden but perhaps a throw back to when cars used to have their gas caps under the rear license plate! (yes, they actually did!). Also a full road test by CNET embedded in this article.

I went through MNL and did a search for S550 plugin and saw no thread; if there is one feel free to merge this one ... lots of comments on this approach by MBZ

Here is another photo, this time of the C350 PHEV with the charge port in use; lots of styling similarities ... rated for 19 EV miles but I'm sure that will vary; S550 has a bigger battery (8.7 kWh) versus the C350 (6.2 kWh) but of course more weight, etc.

I had to stare at that top photograph for a while to convince myself that I was not looking at a picture of a car which was covered with door dings and scrapes. I'm now convinced that it is actually a new car in show condition!

I didn't even realize this existed until I saw one at the SF Auto Show.

I couldn't find the controls to open the charging flap since wasn't sure where the inlet was (since I hadn't seen this thread before the auto show). My guess was right about the location. Maybe the release is only accessible via a menu? I couldn't power up the car to see any of the menus/UI.

My guess the only reasons for Mercedes to do this are: enhanced AT-PZEV CA ZEV credits, providing the choice of a green sticker for the target audience and inflating Mercedes CAFE mileage/compensating for their other cars. And, they probably figure they can easily roll the price of this additional equipment into the car. http://www.autoblog.com/2015/06/19/merc ... s550-phev/ claims there's no extra cost of the PHEV vs. conventional ICEV.

. . . The 2017 Mercedes-Benz S 550e plug-in hybrid will soon get a wireless-charging option, Mercedes hybrid powertrain boss Jochen Strenkert told Britain's Auto Express in an interview at the recent Geneva Motor Show. This addition will reportedly be part of a refresh of the S-Class plug-in hybrid, which launched in Europe in Fall 2014, but has only been on sale in the U.S. since last July.

Set to debut next year, the refreshed model (S 550e in the U.S., S 500e in Europe) will reportedly boast a greater electric-only range than the current car.

Mercedes expects battery capacity to double every five years, Strenkert said, so it's betting on greater range. . . .

Guy [I have lots of experience designing/selling off-grid AE systems, some using EVs but don't own one. Local trips are by foot, bike and/or rapid transit].

The 'best' is the enemy of 'good enough'.Copper shot, not Silver bullets.